Being overwhelmed is something we all encounter. For some people, being overwhelmed stems from a process of "introspection overload" (Suval). You are overloaded with thoughts, either relevant or irrelevant, and cannot seem to organize them all or keep yourself sane. Over-inspecting each of these thoughts and spending too much time ruminating aren't good for your stress level. However, support is raising for journaling as a way to cope with this problem. Writing all of your thoughts and worries down is a good way to get them out of your head. Experts on the topic say that journaling is cathartic, and can help you to get in touch with yourself. It is a good way to release all of your negative energy by transferring it from inside your head to onto your paper. Alternative methods of writing have also been suggested. Julia Cameron suggests in her book The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity to take three blank pages each morning and fill them with your stream of consciousness. You don't even have to keep the papers: the process in itself will be therapeutic. There are numerous types of journaling also: gratitude journaling, in which you only focus on the positive; dream journaling, during which you may be able to form connections and better understand your dreams; and memory journaling, which can not only preserve your images from the past but also help you to better understand it (Suval). If journaling still isn't something you can see yourself getting into but you would like to quiet your overwhelming thoughts, other methods such as taking a walk may help.
source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/06/13/introspection-overload-the-value-of-journaling/, Lauren Suval
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